Dr. Jerome Baudry, whose research focus is on genomics, proteomics, and pharmacology, was recently named the Pei-Ling Chan Eminent Scholar in UAH’s Department of Biological Sciences.

Michael Mercier | UAH

Dr. Jerome Baudry is clear when he speaks of his goal as the Pei-Ling Chan Eminent Scholar in the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

"My goal," he says, "is to bring the power of computational biology to molecular discovery." He plans to apply this concept to the discovery of new drugs and the formulation of natural products, and to establish a firm fundamental biophysical description of protein:protein and protein:ligand interactions.

Dr. Baudry will conduct research in the field of genomics, proteomics, and pharmacology, and his focus will be on developing and applying methods and protocols for computational drug discovery, both on small molecules and biologicals, through academic, national laboratories, and industrial collaborations.

"Personalized approaches that are tailored for an individual genome/proteome are of particular interest for the future of translational and personalized medicine and pharmacy, and are actively developed in my research," he says.

"We are excited that Dr. Baudry has accepted the position of Pei-Ling Chan Eminent Scholar in the Department of Biological Sciences," says Dr. Sundar Christopher, dean of UAH’s College of Science. "He brings a wealth of experience in both research and teaching, which will be invaluable to UAH and help diversify and enhance our initiatives in the Department of Biological Sciences."

Dr. Baudry will be involved in the Biological Science Department’s undergraduate and graduate programs, including its Biotechnology Science and Engineering doctoral program. He will also work closely with the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, whose 150-acre campus is home to genomics technology and genomic investigators with experience in large-scale projects such as the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Genome Atlas, and the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Project (ENCODE).

He says UAH’s biotechnology graduate program, the rich ecosystem of high-tech companies, and the interaction of fundamental and applied biological sciences with HudsonAlpha’s genomics research are perfectly in phase with his research and educational goals.

"My research in drug discovery, natural products, and molecular biophysics is at the interface of computational biology, functional and structural genomics, proteomics, structural biology, and computational sciences, and great emphasis is placed on collaborating with both academic and industrial colleagues, and in serving students through quality research opportunities."

Dr. Baudry received his Ph.D. in molecular biophysics with the highest honors from the University of Paris, UPMC/Sorbonne Universities, France. He subsequently joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a postdoctoral fellow. After his postdoctoral work, Dr. Baudry joined the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist, and then returned to Illinois to accept a non-tenure track senior research scientist position.

In 2008, Dr. Baudry joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the UT/Oak Ridge National Lab’s Center for Molecular Biophysics as a tenure-track assistant professor, becoming a tenured associate professor in 2014.

The position of Pei-Ling Chan Eminent Scholar is endowed by philanthropists Tony and Kathy Chan and offers an unparalleled opportunity for joint research, educational projects, and collaborations with non-profit, government, and industrial partners. Tony Chan is a former physics faculty member of UAH and worked from 1970 to 1996. Kathy Chan has two degrees from UAH and received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from UAH in 2008.